Ubuntu package "python3" does not include tkinter

[lcrocker]

On Apr 19, 10:35 am, Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8... at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2013.04.19 12:17, lcrocker wrote:> Am I mistaken in my belief that tkinter is a non-optional part of the
> > Python language? I installed the "python3" package on Ubuntu, and
> > tkinter is not included--it's an optional package "python3-tk" that
> > has to be installed separately. I reported this as a bug as was
> > summarily slapped down.
>
> Forcing Tkinter as a dependency would result in a ton of things being installed to support it. Why should a web server using Django have X
> installed and running because Python /can/ support a GUI in the standard library? It's trivial to install Tkinter if you need it, but it
> would be a huge mess to try to remove it from an installation that requires it - even if you never use Tkinter. Ubuntu is far from alone
> here. FreeBSD (and probably the other BSDs) and most Linux distros do something similar. There is zero reason to force Tkinter and its
> dependencies on all Python users.
> --
> CPython 3.3.0 | Windows NT 6.2.9200 / FreeBSD 9.1

I understand that for something like a server distribution, but Ubuntu
is a user-focused desktop distribution. It has a GUI, always. The
purpose of a distro like that is to give users a good experience. If I
install Python on Windows, I get to use Python. On Ubuntu, I don't,
and I think that will confuse some users. I recently recommended
Python to a friend who wants to start learning programming. Hurdles
like this don't help someone like him.